Governor Gretchen Whitmer is among those asking why no National Weather Service tornado watch was issued near Union City during a deadly storm and whether that was due to budget cuts by the Trump administration. The tornadoes caused at least four deaths and widespread devastation across three counties in southwest Michigan last week.
"While tornadoes can be hard to predict, the federal government should investigate whether the failure to issue a watch was related to federal cuts,” Whitmer spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told The Detroit News.
Whitmer declared a state of emergency over the weekend in Branch, Cass, and St. Joseph counties after storms that brought high winds and four confirmed tornadoes.
State officials and members of the public have raised questions about whether more could have been done to track and prepare for the storms and tornadoes.
State Senator Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) represents another southwest Michigan community struck by tornadoes two years ago. The Democratic lawmaker chairs the Senate Energy and Environment Committee and is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“First, we’ve got to be able to have the best ways to prevent damage and loss of life from terrible weather events as much as possible, and that includes the ability to best know what’s coming,” McCann told Michigan Public Radio.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has questioned whether the NWS fell short of its responsibility, stating it has an obligation to keep the public informed when a weather-related crisis is imminent, and she called for a federal investigation.
A spokesperson said the National Weather Service was fully staffed and local offices did issue specific warnings for affected communities.
“The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the loss of life and for all those impacted by the tornadoes in lower Michigan on March 6,” Marissa Anderson said in an emailed statement to Michigan Public Radio. “All National Weather Service offices were fully staffed to meet the demands of these deadly storms.”
Anderson said a severe weather watch was not initially issued by NWS, but the agency had local forecasters monitoring conditions and alerted endangered communities facing an “immediate threat.”
Richard Rood, a University of Michigan climate scientist, said budget cuts have eroded the weather service’s forecasting and data collection tools. But he said it is too early to tell if that played a role in whether there were timely alerts shared with the public about the tornadoes.
“There’s no doubt that the lack of personnel causes more stress, wears on people over time,” he said, “but I think it would be premature to draw any specific links to this particular storm.”
